


Foxtrot

by elenathen



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1920s, M/M, The Great Gatsby References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-17 04:01:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14180115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elenathen/pseuds/elenathen
Summary: Lindir finds a moment of calm in the glitz





	Foxtrot

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lindirisms](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lindirisms/gifts).



> I watched The Great Gatsby today and I wanted it
> 
> I am in no way affiliated with The Great Gatsby, The Hobbit or any Tolkien creation. I'm not making money from this

Haughtily, the smell of champagne permeated through the dense, smoky air that enveloped the ballroom; a sparkling knife of acidity to cut gaps in the blanket of cigar fumes. Like the champagne, dresses clinging to androgynous forms shimmered untouchably against the barricade of suits, reflecting the overhanging lights and hypnotizing the eye. Blending in seamlessly, as he should, Lindir moved gracefully through the unorganized throng of patrons; his movements calculated and practiced enough to be clockwork. 

A tray of glasses, glittering with bubbles and liquid gold, balanced expertly on his fingers; remaining perfectly still as he maneuvered between bodies. Clutching herself with laughter, a woman bedazzled in a glitzy dress tumbled into his path, liquer sloshing out of her glass. Lindir managed to stop in time to prevent a collision; not that the woman was sober enough to notice. The man holding her upright had his hands in rather intimate places, but neither seemed to mind in the slightest as their laughter joined the swinging music flooding the artificially lit room. 

Muttering a polite, “excuse me”, Lindir sidestepped the couple in hysterics, carrying his tray high above his head to avoid toppling. Several glasses were removed from his care as he made his way across the floor, and equally as many empty ones filled their places, lipstick and cigarette ashes littering the used glassware. 

By the time he’d made it to the bar again, all of the champagne was gone, and several very drunk customers had attempted to drink from the dirty glasses. Setting down the tray and immediately swapping the empty glasses for the full ones, Lindir looked up at the man behind the bar, smiling at his fellow server.

“Quite the party tonight, isn’t it, Tom?” he said cheerfully, though his voice had difficulty pushing through the loud music and commotion. Tom, the bartender, grinned at him as he dried off a glass.

“I’ve been getting some smashing tips,” he replied, “From the younger ladies especially; their friends keep urging them to drink more and they just empty out their pocketbooks.” Lindir laughed and pushed the dirty glasses towards Tom for washing, arranging the newly full ones into a stable pattern.

“Have you met the flapper twins yet?” he asked, leaning onto the counter and pocketing the change and bills that littered his tray. 

“No, haven’t had the chance. They any good?”

“Oh, they’re wonderful,” Lindir replied, losing one of his glasses to a giggling woman flouncing past the bar. “I’ve heard they’re going to be in some new pictures very soon. Talking ones too.” Tom shook his head, an impressed smile on his face.

“These inventions, my friend, getting crazier all the time. You’d think it was 1950 instead of 1923,” he mused, picking up another glass and dumping the remnants into a bucket at his feet.

Lindir grinned at him and lifted the tray, “I know, the world is changing so fast.” He straightened out his livery and made to head out into the ever-shifting crowd again. “Well, I better get back to work. I’ll probably need more champagne in a bit.”

“I’ll have it ready for you!” Tom called after him as he eased past a tipsy man attempting to show his friend a sort of cramped version of the foxtrot. 

The sounds and atmosphere closed around Lindir again, and his head rung with the echoing jazzy Charleston that the band was playing for the second time that evening. He liked to observe people as he moved about, serving and accepting tips where he could. The parties his employer hosted were always so extravagant and luxurious, with the most interesting and equally lavish guests to attend, all of whom let themselves go completely in the face of champagne and a good party.

The number of movie stars and Jazz musicians that Lindir had seen at such parties was increasing by the hour, and though their looks or talent was coveted by the American public, he had discovered that they were no more ethereal beings than the grocer the kitchen ordered oranges from. In the massive, yet intimate parties he served at, he witnessed the human race in their most pure, unfiltered form.

Sex dominated the rooms he moved between, losing more glasses as he passed guests in all stages of decay. The allure of each other so strongly mixed with spirits and loud music made each guest as beautiful to one as the next and bodies touched constantly. Laughs as crystalline as the massive chandeliers hanging overhead were as often as breath, and the movement of those captured in the trance of the music moved in an organic, everflowing rhythm. 

A group of girls swept him into a circle briefly, laughing joyfully as he spun between them before managing to escape their feathered grasps, relieving him of the remainder of his champagne glasses. The tray felt unbalanced and light without the weight of the glass, but it was a small relief for Lindir to slip it under his arm and move to slide up against a wall for a small break. He had barely the chance to catch his breath before a whisper caught on his shoulder, along with the touch of a hand to his elbow.

“Lindir.”

He turned to see where the voice had come from, and saw that he was leaning against a door slightly ajar, a soft smile and a cufflinked hand beckoning him through. Glancing around again, he let himself slip towards the invitation, and felt himself being pulled suddenly into the darkness of the room.

The sudden quietness and dim light of the chamber was an instant release in Lindir’s chest, almost as if he’d been holding his breath without noticing. It took him a moment to adjust his eyes to the calm, but once he did, he found himself smiling.

“Elrond,” he playfully scolded, “I’m working.” His words were met with a gentle laugh and a hand sliding into his own.

“Working too hard to spare me a moment?”

Lindir couldn’t help but smile more as the familiar hand of his lover meshed with his own. Even in the low light, the outline of Elrond was impressive and comforting to him. His tailored blue suit pressed neatly by Lindir’s own hands hugged his chest in the most perfect way, and Lindir let himself be drawn close to him.

“I suppose not. I can always spare a moment for the wealthiest man in Manhattan,” he said slyly, setting his tray down and letting his hands slide up Elrond’s upper arms. He could feel the expensive weave of the jacket beneath his fingertips, and the hands moving to his waist made him shiver despite himself.

“You really should be attending my party,” Elrond said to him, drawing him close and playing gently with the buttons at the back of Lindir’s livery. “I so wish to dance with you instead of having to track you down through the other footmen.”

Lindir laughed softly, leaning into Elrond’s chest as his hands drifted down to the lapels of his jacket, “We can dance whenever you want; but I’m doing what you pay me to do. I would be a terrible employee if I lacked in my duties.”

“You don’t have to be my servant,” Elrond said, looking into his eyes with a soft kindness. “I have told you many times, there is no need for you to clean and serve. You’re my lover.” Lindir tilted his head to the side slightly, the sound of the party outside of their momentary haven drifting under the door as a muffled afterthought.

“I know,” he said simply, tracing the side of Elrond’s jaw with his fingertips, “But I like this job.” He leant forward and pressed his nose against the side of Elrond’s smiling a little mischievously.

“And getting to help you dress in the morning is a definite plus.”

Elrond laughed at that, pulling Lindir right up against him, “That’s more of a lover’s perk than something that would be in your job description.”

Glittering, Lindir’s eyes laughed along with Elrond’s, the smile on his lips mirroring the mouth across from him. His hands slipped down to trace the back of Elrond’s neck, cupping him there despite the stiff collar of his shirt.

“Are you sure kisses and making love on Sunday afternoons in the ballroom aren’t simply part of being employed at Peredhil estate?” he probed cheekily, his chest against Elrond’s. He could feel the intake of his lover’s breath as he laughed again.

“No, my darling. I’m afraid I don’t offer such bonuses to the other members of staff,” Elrond replied, his voice ringing with mirth and amusement. Lindir grinned and leant up into him more, standing on his toes to reach his lips. 

Barely letting them touch, he whispered: “Good,” before leaning in to kiss Elrond softly. His kiss was returned with delicacy, that quickly turned to passion and was followed by hands beginning to roam around his body. He let a small laugh escape into Elrond’s mouth, only for it to be swallowed by Elrond’s tongue. Kissing back, he allowed for it to continue for several minutes before pulling back, becoming rather pink and already quite flustered.

“I’m working, darling, not now,” he said in an obligatory protest, though his voice and expression said the exact opposite. He tried to pull away, but was caught in another momentary kiss before Elrond finally let him go.

“Hurry upstairs once everything is over,” Elrond urged him as he picked up his tray again. Lindir smiled at him and gave his sleek hair a gentle caress as he turned to head to the door again.

“See you later.”

“I’ll have candles!” Elrond called, but Lindir was already stepping back out into the golden cabaret of music, leaving his lover behind him, but carrying a happier smile for the rest of the evening.


End file.
